Cure for Insomnia

Posted , 3 users are following.

Feel like i need to share this story as a guidance and help for those new sufferer

It is my personal experience, i am not a doctor/professional

But still i feel this might be helpful as THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF TUNNEL

(actually you accidentally build that tunnel!)

The Story:

I suffered from insomnia last November 2018

coincidentally this happened after a period of heavy stress from work

it started really weird, i only slept for 4 hours for the first few nights

then when i try to sleep longer, i basically just sleep for an hour

there were nights that i dont sleep at all

after 2 nights of non sleeping, i suffered from panic attack in the middle of the night

(its like there is a burst of warm in my chest, my heart was racing and i thought i had a heart attack)

The Problem:

Well, like you guys.. i started to find the cure on internet

melatonin/chamomile, taking a bath before sleep, workout at gym...

i am telling you.. nothing seems to be working, it only got worse

the worst thing was when i am dead tired from gym and can't sleep

there were moment i feel like i am going to become zombie

to make matter worse, i went on a group travel to japan/taiwan during these time

as i bought cheap ticket months before and couldnt cancel it

you can imagine i was looking at mount fuji beauty, feeling all dead inside from lack of sleep

The Science:

the back of our mind is BLESSED with amygdala (almond shape size back brain)

this is to make us afraid during danger, fight/flight instinct

these mechanism protect our ancestors from danger such as tiger, storms etc

now can you imagine our ancestor sleeping when there is a tiger, he will be history

therefore an active amygdala basically prioritize survival rather than sleep

but what happen if we subconciously activate it by being in a dangerous situation or so we thought

ask yourself this question, have you been in a stressfull/fearful situation recently?

which trigger your sleeping problem, if you do then

this mean INSOMNIA = OVERACTIVE AMYGDALA

The Solution (WHAT NOT TO DO):

One thing i can tell you is TO STAY THE MOON AWAY FROM PILL

your brain is way stronger than the pill, after a while it became useless

but you become dependent on it

the quality of sleep you get from the pill is fake knockoff version

i mean knockoff version of designer clothing is fine, sleep maybe not so much

Don't bother working out, taking a bath before sleep

some genius was telling me when you take a hot bath before sleep

your body temperature drop which signal to the brain you are falling asleep

its an absolute BS, it only make my sleeping problem worse

just do what you use to do, watch tv, browse internet

if you love to workout then its fine but DO NOT DO IT so you can fall asleep

basically DO NOTHING AT ALL

The Solution (WHAT TO DO):

Just "REST"

When you lay down, don't bother trying to sleep

just think of it as YOU ARE JUST RESTING

Not sleeping is fine, basically you are just trying to conserve energy

I mean its the second best thing after all

if you can't sleep then you gotta REST

Meditation (Breathing)

there is something about meditation

meditation does not mean sitting down and daydreaming

it mean try to focus on your breathing (basically to discipline your mind)

you can look at reserach with monk's amygdala that does meditation

it is basically smaller than average population

something about meditation remove us from anxiety and quieten amygdala

you don't have to sit down for 2 hours meditating every day

15 minutes a day will do

After a few weeks, your anxiety will basically begin to go away

and hopefully you will have a good sleep 😃

*My insomnia went away after 6 months

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi man,

    I am going through tough time for about 2 months. I had a stressful event which caused insomnia. the stressor is long gone. I only sleep 2-3 hours and sometimes 0. I am 22 and healthy but obviously not so good at dealing with stress i realise now.

    I have never been an anxious person but this has taken a toll on me and I only think about sleep. Your advice is great, thank you. I am only writing to see if you are still managing to sleep well. It helps reading success stories. Any advice is welcome

    • Posted

      hello Ani,

      sure buddy, better sleep than before: 8 hours on best day

      but sure i do get 4-5 hours sleep sometimes

      although my anxiety has evolved into something else more sinister (another topic)

      notice what you said "I only think about sleep"

      this one you have to correct as in try doing something else (pick up new hobby)

      and try not to be afraid of not-sleeping (basically ACCEPTANCE)

      the moment you do that, then this problem will go away

      its like taking a dump, you have no say so might as well accept it

      just lay down and rest, dont worry about it

      its in your blood, your ancestors been doing it for like a billion years

      so its not like a sudden lost ability

      you should be fine although it will take a while (a few months) to get back to normal

  • Posted

    Thank you. I am getting so anxious lately im not sleeping at all.

    Did you experience anxiety or depression symptoms? My doctor wants me take mirtazapine but i know its such a horrible drug. I cant let go of the thoughts that my life has been destroyed by this. How happy and healthy i was before worrying over sth stupid!

    Should i try CBT? The whole problem is my thoughts and i am losing hope each day. I dont know what to do.

    • Posted

      yeah, anxiety contribute to insomnia (overactive amygdala)

      one evidence is people find it hard to sleep when they have flight to catch the next morning

      due to fear of missing flight

      once way to cure this is to meditate (let go of your thought, focus on breathing or sound)

      do this for 20 minutes daily

      CBT does help as well so i recommend this

      "How happy and healthy i was before worrying over sth stupid!"

      my friend, in life we will face hardship and more problem will arise as we get older

      the key is to learn to accept and handle it, with it we will become more mature and better

      unfortunately with insomnia

      once you have it, you will have it for life. this is due to the memory embedded in your mind

      but its manageable with the right thinking and frame of mind

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